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Mac Mini M1 - 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD

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Boro22

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 3, 2023
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Hi, just purchased a used Mac Mini M1 16GB, 1TB HDD for a relatively good price (when I compare to Ebay prices). In terms of the spec, how long can I expect this to last?

This is my first foray into Mac OS. Previously on Windows (but have all other Apple Products - iPhone, ipad, AirPods etc)

I was going to get the base spec M1 initially but thought i pay that bit extra for the higher ram and storage.

I could have got a used M2 8GB with 512GB SSD for roughly about £50 cheaper but thought I would stick with the older M1 chip and take advantage of the higher ram and storage.
Main uses would be :

Browsing
Office
I want to start some video montage editing from my photos.

thoughts would be appreciated. This seems like a really good site to build my Mac OS knowledge...
 
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thank you so much for that. it was a toss up (for similar price) between

the one I chose (M1, 16GB Ram, 1TB HDD) vs
M2, 8GB RAM and 512GB HDD

thank you for confirming my decision - took a while to get there.,

I am planning to run the mac mini as a dual screen setup.

my second monitor only has HDMI/VGA, so that will need to connect to the mac mini via hdmi
my first monitor DellU2419H has display port and HDMI. given i can't use HDMI due to screen above, can the display port work with thunderbolt . not too clued up on these latest PC connections.
 
You will need a USB-C to Display port adapter… or a USB-C or Thunderbolt hub with Display port.
 
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You picked up a great machine! I run a 16/256 M1 since most of my work files live in the cloud.

To be honest, 8GB of ram would have been plenty for your workload for a good while, but 16GB gives headroom to do some more complex things, and even run a virtual Windows machine if you feel the need.

I fully expect this machine to handle my daily use needs for at least 5 more years. Short of a catastrophic hardware failure, it should remain useable in some capacity for a long time after.

When it comes to displays, using a usbc to DisplayPort dongle or hub provides the best connection on a Mac these days. Hdmi works, but can be a little flaky with the M series macs. Most of those quirks likely won’t affect what I presume to be a fairly old monitor.

I hope you enjoy your venture into MacOS!
 
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Thanks. Any recommendations on which one to buy?

In terms of additional accessories I would like to connect are:

Logitech MX keyboard and mouse (use USB dongle)

Webcam (for FaceTime)

I would like a SD card reader
 
Boro22 said:
Hi, just purchased a used Mac Mini M1 16GB, 1TB HDD for a relatively good price (when I compare to Ebay prices). In terms of the spec, how long can I expect this to last?

This is my first foray into Mac OS. Previously on Windows (but have all other Apple Products - iPhone, ipad, AirPods etc)

I was going to get the base spec M1 initially but thought i pay that bit extra for the higher ram and storage.

I could have got a used M2 8GB with 512GB SSD for roughly about £50 cheaper but thought I would stick with the older M1 chip and take advantage of the higher ram and storage.
Main uses would be :

Browsing
Office
I want to start some video montage editing from my photos.

thoughts would be appreciated. This seems like a really good site to build my Mac OS knowledge...
Click to expand...

Good choice and specifications.

I would imagine that your Mac mini will last 7-10 with your current workflow/tasks.


richmlow
 
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My monitor is currently connected using LG’s supplied displayport cable connected to a SIIG 4 in 1 display adapter from work. If I didn’t have the dongle laying around I would get a cable or adapter with solid reviews on Amazon.

I’m currently trying to find the right powered thunderbolt hub for me. The one I ordered is from Monoprice (a 30% off coupon code got me to bite). It should be here in a few days. It has 2 DisplayPort ports, but the base M series chips won’t let you use both for unique displays. It also has a variety of usb ports, sd and micro sd card readers, Ethernet and audio. It checks the boxes for what I want, but some reviews claim it doesn’t play nice with newer versions of MacOS and M series macs. I’m hoping the problem is between the hub and chair with those users and or the previous version of the product. We shall see soon enough.

I use a 10 in 1 hub from MOKiN with my M1 MBP. It plays nice with my mini as well and has everything I need except DisplayPort. It’s great for mobile use, but I want something powered for the desktop so devices charge and external drives get all the power they need.

As a longtime Apple laptop user, I prefer using a trackpad over a mouse. The Magic Trackpad is a great accessory.

For a webcam, I’ve been using my 13 mini with the continuity camera feature. For the 6-8 hours per week that I need it, I’ve been happy.
 
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Thanks guys, really appreciate the input and good to know I made the right choice.

I will have a look at those hubs. What monitor would you recommend?

Also I assume the Mac mini can have multiple users assigned? Ie me and my partner
 
With an unlimited budget, I would stick in the Apple family for a display, but my funds are definitely not unlimited. I use an LG 32UL500. It's a lower end 32" 4k display, but I find it suits me well and running at 3840x2160, it eliminates my need for a second screen. It was the right compromise for me. If my budget were a little larger, I would have looked for an IPS-based panel rather than VA for a little better viewing angles. When I was looking, I found some models I was interested in and checked in at rtings.com to see what they had to say. Once I had the monitor in hand, I followed their settings to get a nice image on the display and all is good and text looks very good. If I put the monitor in one of its gaming presets and the text looks terrible (I just did that today by accident).

You can definitely use multiple accounts on the mini, and enable fast user switching which will quickly kick you to the login screen to switch users.
 
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Boro22 said:
Thanks. Any recommendations on which one to buy?

In terms of additional accessories I would like to connect are:

Logitech MX keyboard and mouse (use USB dongle)

Webcam (for FaceTime)

I would like a SD card reader
Click to expand...
I'm going to assume that when you say 1TB HDD you mean the 1TB SSD.... 😜

I have a card reader that works really well, got it from Amazon HERE

Monitors are so dependent on what you want/need and use... I have two:
- BenQ PD2705U (27" 4K)
- AOC U32P2CA (32" 4K)

as for zoom etc I use a Logitech C920S HD Pro Webcam

I use a Apple keyboard, mouse and trackpad so I don't know how good Logitech works with it.
 
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Ok thanks guys, plenty for me to think about. To provide a bit of context, here is my current setup

- Two 1080p Monitors (Dell2419h and an old Acer 24inch panel)
- I have a Dell WD15 dock which connects everything (mouse, keyboard, webcam, speakers etc)
- The WD15 dock then has a USBC powered connection to connect to my two laptops (Dell personal and Dell work)
- this is very convenient for me as allows me to simply switch one cable for me to flicker between work or home set up.

However as i mentioned, I want to put switch to the Mac OS for ease of use...

Now, for the time being - I will probably stick to the two same monitors so will plan to use different input ports on the monitors. The longer term, I will plan to buy a 27inch Dell 4k monitor and have the other Dell U2419h (below) as my secondary monitor. What are macs like for 1080 display?

Dell monitor has 2 display ports - so will use one for the WD15 dock and the other one going into the Mac Mini
Acer monitor has HDMI and VGA. Will use the VGA for the WD15 and then plug the HDMI directly going into the mac Mini

what do you think of that as a solution?

I then will keep my Logitech MX keyboard and mouse for time being. The Dell monitor actually has a USB port - so I would put the Logitech dongle in there. But i assume the Mac Mini won't pick this up (or will it via the thunderbolt 3 to display port cable?)
 
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Sounds like a pretty reasonable plan.

The Mac won’t pick up the Logitech dongle in the Dell. It will transmit display info and data back and forth on a thunderbolt to thunderbolt connection, but only transmits display info on a thunderbolt to DisplayPort connection.
 
I don’t have a monitor that takes a usbc input, so I don’t know if there are any issues with running the display and hub over the same cable. I’m sure someone that has one will chime in.

The worst case scenario is that you would need to connect one cable for the display signal and one for the usb hub similar to the old monitors.
 
thanks. Mac mini has arrived and has only taken about an hour to set up and get the basics set up (Mouse/Keyboard Logitech, Office etc)

All looks good so far and so much quieter than my laptop. However first thing I have noticed is that the 1080p screen is not cutting it. Definitely needs a 4k monitor... did anyone else find the same.

PS I have got the Logitech MX key set up fine but however the " @ sign are the wrong way round. how do I re-assign this? The keyboard has already been set up as British input
 
You can try the various font smoothing settings by following this article:

Change Font Smoothing

Be sure to restart after each change. One of the settings may improve things a bit, but won’t work miracles.

MacOS definitely looks better at higher resolutions. Now you have a good excuse to add a new monitor to the wish list.

I’ve never remapped keys, but open System Settings and go to the Keyboards section. You can modify things there. I’m sure there are some step by step tutorials out there.
 
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thanks - I will have a look but I think I will go with the 4k.

I am playing with the Photos project to create a slideshow.

It seems easy enough.

couple of questions:

  1. When I add photo to the slideshow project - how come it adds it in reverse order. I.e. the last photo I select to be added - is the first one in the slide show
  2. does anyone know how to adjust the length of each slide. For example, I want to add video in and want this slide to play 20 seconds of the video - but it treats it like a photo and skips is after few seconds.
Any tips/links on how to create a great photo slideshow with music would be appreciated - or point me to the right place on forum.

First impressions of the Mac is that it's very good. I love how it intergates with my Apple Eco System.
 
I’m not sure that the photos app has the level of control you are looking for. You can definitely accomplish what you want in iMovie pretty easily. Keynote is another possibility, but I’ve never used it with an audio track set to play in conjunction with the slides.
 
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thanks - I will need to look at that. Can someone help with me connection a Dell Monitor. Looking at the Dell U2723QE.

My question is what connection method is best ? Thunderbolt 3 or HDMI.

I am a bit confused as the Dell Monitor only lists these ports

  • HDMI (HDCP 2.2)
  • DisplayPort 1.4 (HDCP 2.2)
  • DisplayPort output.
  • USB-C upstream/DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode with Power Delivery (power up to 90W, HDCP 2.2)
  • USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 upstream.
  • USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 downstream (power up to 15W)
  • 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 downstream.
  • USB 3.2 Gen 2 downstream with Battery Charging 1.2

Does that that mean I can't connect to Mac mini via the optimal Thunderbolt 3?
 
Boro22 said:
thanks. Mac mini has arrived and has only taken about an hour to set up and get the basics set up (Mouse/Keyboard Logitech, Office etc)

All looks good so far and so much quieter than my laptop. However first thing I have noticed is that the 1080p screen is not cutting it. Definitely needs a 4k monitor... did anyone else find the same.

PS I have got the Logitech MX key set up fine but however the " @ sign are the wrong way round. how do I re-assign this? The keyboard has already been set up as British input
Click to expand...
Not sure why your monitors don't cut it, I've got 2 Dell P2419H's connected to a displaylink dock that work fine, am guessing your model is similar, have you got the right scaling in the display option in system preferences?
 
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Boro22 said:
I am a bit confused as the Dell Monitor only lists these ports

  • HDMI (HDCP 2.2)
  • DisplayPort 1.4 (HDCP 2.2)
  • DisplayPort output.
  • USB-C upstream/DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode with Power Delivery (power up to 90W, HDCP 2.2)
  • USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 upstream.
  • USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 downstream (power up to 15W)
  • 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 downstream.
  • USB 3.2 Gen 2 downstream with Battery Charging 1.2

Does that that mean I can't connect to Mac mini via the optimal Thunderbolt 3?
Click to expand...
USB-C is the connector type. Thunderbolt is a protocol. USB 3.2 Gen 2 is a protocol. DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode is a protocol. The protocol (Thunderbolt or USB or DisplayPort) used will be determined by the type of accessory you attach using USB-C connector. Thunderbolt hub = Thunderbolt protocol. USB hub/adapter = USB protocol. Monitor = DisplayPort protocol. Your monitor can receive display signals using HDMI or DisplayPort 1.4 or USB-C DisplayPort upstream connections. Take your pick. Your monitor does not support Thunderbolt protocol.
 
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Bigwaff said:
USB-C is the connector type. Thunderbolt is a protocol. USB 3.2 Gen 2 is a protocol. DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode is a protocol. The protocol (Thunderbolt or USB or DisplayPort) used will be determined by the type of accessory you attach using USB-C connector. Thunderbolt hub = Thunderbolt protocol. USB hub/adapter = USB protocol. Monitor = DisplayPort protocol. Your monitor can receive display signals using HDMI or DisplayPort 1.4 or USB-C DisplayPort upstream. Take your pick. Your monitor does not support Thunderbolt protocol.
Click to expand...

Ok that makes sense. There are not many monitors with thunderbolt 3 connection in that case. Only the Apple monitor?
 
Boro22 said:
Ok that makes sense. There are not many monitors with thunderbolt 3 connection in that case. Only the Apple monitor?
Click to expand...
Not trying to be too pedantic, but like @Bigwaff said.. the Apple monitor(s) technically use a USB-C connection for display input. And over that connection, they support TB3 and DisplayPort AltMode to carry the video signal.

In other words, you actually don't need TB3/TB4 to get an image on the Apple Studio Display/XDR.
 
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